Monday, September 3, 2012

New Melones Fishing Report from Glory Hole Sports

Fishing report 9-4-12

FREE FISHING DAY SEPTEMBER 08, 2012!

Water Conditions:  New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,552,784 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped just over a foot this week and is currently at 1009 ft. above sea level and 79 ft. from full.  Water temperature is in the low 80's.  Lake is stained, with mud lines forming around the shore on windy days, and days with a lot of boat traffic. Good news, the lower ramp on Glory Hole Point is open, which makes for an easy walk.

Trout: Great!  We are seeing a surprising number of trout caught, for this time of year.  Trolling anglers are bringing in some great trout.  
bayerBF  
Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Alan Bayer. He caught a beautiful 3-pound 14-ounce rainbow while trolling a blue/gold Excel spoon in 70' of water, while fishing with Danny Layne of Fish'n Dan's Guide Service.   

kawano 
Gary Kawaho caught this nice limit of 'bows while trolling Rattletraps 70-80 feet deep by the dam on a recent trip with Gary Burns of Take It To The Limit Guide Service. 
Most anglers are picking up mixed kokanee/trout limits while trolling 50-80' deep in the main lake. The shad are staging in deep, cooler water and getting ready for their fall migration up the creek channels.  The trout are hanging around the baitfish. The shad are fairly large so keep this in mind when choosing lures. Shad patterned Rattle Traps, and Mini Traps have been working well. Also, a traditional flasher and crawler rig is working great, too.  Night fishing under a submersible light is really good right now, and should be for the next couple months.  Most anglers that are targeting fish at night are bringing in limits of fat 2-3 pound rainbows. Try fishing the main lake by the dam or spillway. Anchor your boat in 50-100 ft of water and drop the light down as far as it will go.  Power Bait, Gulp Eggs, and nightcrawlers are all a good choice.  Also, try drop-shotting a shad patterned plastic grub, or plastic worm. Bank anglers should head to the high country lakes and rivers. Try using spinners such as Panther Martins and Rooster Tails with 4# test on an ultra light spinning rod.

dirikson  Jim and Debbie Dirikson show off  kokanee and trout they caught on orange Shasta Hoochies behind Sling Blades.
Kokanee:  Good, with most anglers getting easy limits of fat small but meaty kokanee with a big rainbow or two thrown in.  Kokanee are very aggressive now, and are starting to lose their scales as they get ready to spawn.  Try using a bladed hootchie behind a sling blade or dodger.  Most of the fish are schooling in deep (60-90') waters, due to the recent hot weather.  Some anglers run two slingblades in tandem, or run a hootchie through and directly behind an Apex to increase the size of the presentation for these more aggressive pre-spawn fish.  Excel Spoons and Vance's Slim Fins trolled at a faster speed (2.0-2.5 mph) have also been catching the larger kokanee.  Remember, when trolling deeper water, use darker colors.  Be sure to add plenty of Pro Cure Scent to your dodger and your bait. Garlic, carp spit, and kokanee special have all been producing.  Don't forget to bring corn soaked in these same scents.

Bass: fair.  The fish are a little harder to find on these hotter days but they are still biting.  The water has been dropping at least two foot a week for the last four months. This means the fish are being pushed out of shallow water haunts each week. Try fishing vertical banks with a 1/8oz. darthead or a 1/4oz. jig. Most fish will strike on the initial fall, so lighter weighted baits will stay in the strike zone longer.  Natural crawdad and shad patterns are good choices. Also, the shad are starting to school and will head for shallow water this fall. Bass will follow the baitfish. Keep this in mind and cover a lot of water with a shad patterned spinnerbait or a jerk bait until you find fish that are feeding.  Remember to practice catch and release!  If you do keep a bass, please keep the spotted bass and release the big female (largemouth) black bass.  Glory Hole Sports can teach you the difference, so you can practice good conservation of the species.

Catfish:  Good.  Melones cats tend to be fish-eaters rather than bottom foragers, so use live minnows, frozen shad, mackerel, or anchovies for best success.  Move/drag your bait slowly across the bottom to cover more water and target fish that are aggressively feeding. Larger cats will also feed on natural bait like crawlers, so to target large cats try using a big ball of crawlers- many anglers use a weightless set-up.  Generally cats will feed in shallow flats or areas with large chunk rock near deep water. 
stockton  
Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Dick Stockton of Valley Springs. He caught a fat 12-pound 4-ounce cat on purple hoochie while trolling for kokanee.

Crappie: Fair, especially for those fishing at night under a submersible light.   Use Beetle Spins, Mini Jigs, and minnows. Try a live minnow in tandem with a mini jig. Look for fish suspended in the middle of main lake creek channels. Try to find trees and flooded timber in 25-40 feet of water.